Alpha Ryder, You Have Lost Me Forever

Chapter One Seraphina’s POV “I’m sorry, Seraphina. Your father is gone,” Mara Simmons, repeats, her hushed voice cutting through me like a blade even though she said the same words to me over the phone before I arrived here at Oregon—my hometown where I’ve not stepped foot in since a decade ago. I never imagined that the next time I’ll be in Oregon, I’ll be here to collect my father’s ashes from his neighbor. Her words feel like bricks crashing over me, and I wrap my arms around my body, as if to make myself smaller. “How did this happen?” I ask, willing my voice to steady, but it’s a lost cause. Mara looks down as if she can’t bear to look me in the eyes. “He…” She swallows. “Your father took his own life.” The world tilts. I shake my head frantically, pointing a weak finger at her as my vision blurs with tears. “No. That can’t be true. He would never commit suicide.” I might have not known my father much, but he was anything but a weak man who would end his own life. “He didn’t want you to know that he was in big trouble,” she says, finally looking up, her voice quivering and my brows furrow, confusion settling. “What are you talking about?” Mara hesitates, and looks around, as if to be sure no one else is listening. “He was in debt. A huge one. He took a loan of two hundred thousand dollars from Logan, the Beta of the pack. Logan was after him.” My breath hitches in my throat and I reel back. “What? Two hundred thousand dollars? What for?” Again, she hesitates. “He didn’t want you to know that he was responsible for your tuition fees.” It feels like the world is closing in on me with the ground beneath me ripping out. It’s almost as if I’m sinking into an endless abyss. “That’s not possible. My aunt has been the one responsible—” “He always settled her. He knew you hadn’t forgiven him for denying you the chance to pay your last respects to your mother when she died years ago. So, he stayed in the background.” The air is suffocating. I can’t breathe. It’s almost like someone just sucker punched me in the guts. All this while, I hated him for abandoning me with my aunt, and refusing to let me come here for my mother’s burial after she died. I thought he never cared one bit for me. My eyes sting with fresh tears, but I force them back. “He wanted you to have this,” she says, reaching for her pocket and pulling out a tiny box. My fingers tremble as I reach for it, and very slowly, I open it. A gold pendant gleams in the box, attached to a thin rope. I feel the necklace, and the tears I’ve been fighting finally drops. The pendant is cold against my skin as I hold it, and I sniff, holding it to my chest. “I don’t know what it is, but he told me to tell you never to take it off.” Then, Mara’s voice becomes urgent. “If there’s any other thing that’s important in the house, I’ll send them to you. But for now, you need to leave.” I blink. “What?” “Now! You need to leave before they come for you, Seraphina! They won’t stop until they get the money, and I can’t let them take you.” Her eyes are misty as if she wants to cry. She closes the rest of the distance between us, and begins to walk me to the door. “If they find out that you’re here, they’ll hunt you down, and wouldn’t hesitate to have your blood. Listen to me and just go!” I open my mouth to argue but then, Mara stiffens, her eyes darting towards the window with open curtains, and they dilate. She gasps. I follow her gaze, and my breath hitches as I see moving shadows. “Oh no!” A hand covers her mouth, and her face pales as I turn to her. “They’re here,” she says in an almost whisper. “They’re here, Seraphina.” My heart pounds, and a cold shiver runs down my spine. Then, as if on instinct, she grabs my arm, pulling me towards the back door. I follow her, alarm bells ringing in my head. “Go now! Take his ashes with you,” she says, her voice frantic as she shoves the metal container at me. With one last look at Mara, and a very swift hug, I dash out of the house, rushing towards my car, sprinting as fast as my legs can take me. The night is dark, the air crisp, and cold hits my skin but my mind is far from that. The clouds have gathered and it looks like it’s about to rain. All I want is to reach my car before anyone notices me. But as my keys jiggle in the key hole, thunder rumbles in the air, followed by a quick lightning that makes me gasp. Then, a sharp and gruff voice bellows some distance from me, “There she is!” Shit! Panic claws through my chest as I hear fast footsteps rushing towards me, but before they can reach me, I dive into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut and shoving my key in the ignition. My car engine roars to life, and I slam my foot on the gas. The screeching sound of my tires on the pavement follows, as my car speeds out of Mara’s house. I glance at my rearview mirror, and my heart catches in my throat as headlights appear. Logan’s men are after me. My grip on my steering wheel tightens, and I push my gas pedal as far as it can go, moving past several other vehicles. The town fades into the distance, the dark roads stretching endlessly ahead. Rain begins to pour, splattering against my windshield. The wipers struggle to keep up, and dread coils within me. The only thought in my head is how to get away from them, despite not knowing where I’m going. I keep glancing at the rearview mirror, and they seem to be closing in on me. But as the minutes stretch into what seems like an eternity, the fuel gauge dips lower and even more until the gas light flickers on. My fear stares back at me. I’m running out of fuel. Then, my engine begins to splutter, and I shake my head frantically. “No, no, no!” My car jerks to a stop, pushing forward like a rickety one, and I slam my hand hard on my steering wheel. Fuck! Without thinking even for another second, I grab the ashes of my father, and shove the small box in the pocket of my jeans, and with trembling fingers, I yank my car door open. The downpour hits me like several blows, wetting my entire body and lightning strikes again. A forest looms ahead, thick and dark, and I bolt forward with only thoughts of survival biting at me. Branches whip against my skin as I push forward, slashing me, but I don’t stop. I grip my father’s ashes tight, my breath coming out as ragged pants. I have no idea how many they are but I can hear their heavy footsteps behind me. “Don’t let her get away.” The voice is sharp, closer than I thought, and I look behind me to see menacing eyes gleaming at me. Panic claws at me, and before I can look forward, my foot hits something, and I stumble, hitting the slippery floor hard, and the container in my hand rolls off. Pain shoots through me from my side, raw and primal, and I think I must have broken a rib, but I don’t have time to feel it as shadows loom around me. I drag myself with my hands and butt, coiling away till I can reach for my father’s ashes. But I can only go that far because the men are towering above me now. Only their eyes gleam as they stand menacingly in front of me. “Thought you could escape us, didn’t you? Guess someone’s out of luck now. And who’s that with you? Daddy?” An evil bark of laughter follows, and soon their laughs are overshadowing the sound of the still rumbling thunder. “Get away from me,” I say, my voice trembling, and I must sound pathetic because another bark of laughter follows. “Pay us what your miserly father owes and we’ll back off. If not, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pay with your blood, don’t you think? It will be so satisfying to see daddy watch his little princess beg for our mercy.” What am I gonna do? I haven’t shifted in years. Is this the end of me, Moon Goddess? They start to lunge at me and a surge of energy I had no idea I possessed engulfs me as my wolf instincts take over. A growl rips from my throat as my bones begin to c***k and shift. My body stretches, and as fur bursts through my skin, my vision sharpens. My senses heighten and I can feel power surging through me as I fully shift into my wolf form. They shift also, and their scents fill the air. Panther shifters. There are four of them. I snarl, leaping forward at the nearest one, and we roll on the floor. I pounce on him with my claws, biting his side and he howls in pain, stumbling back. The other three surround me, and before I can launch another attack, the one behind me hops on me, his claw digging at my side. Another follows, and I howl in pain. I fight, claw and try to bite, but they are too powerful for me. I collapse on the floor, panting hard, my vision blurring. They shift back into their human forms, stark naked, and I feel vulnerable as their eyes gleam more menacingly. “I’ll see what becomes of you when we’re done with you,” the one in front says, a smirk lining his lips as he closes the distance between us with steady steps. I whimper, too tired to lift any part of my body. I say a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, hoping rescue will come from anywhere. Then, with the last strength I can muster, I throw my head back and howl, pouring every ounce of desperation into the sound and hoping for a miracle. Darkness creeps at the edges of my vision. And then— A growl. Deep. Lethal. Not mine. Someone else’s. I can sense the powerful energy in the voice. A distinct scent follows, strong and unfamiliar and intoxicating. The last thing I see before the world around me fades is the gleam of silver eyes in the shadows, and a deep, rich voice.